It is generally accepted that snoring and obstructive sleep apnea occurs when a human person's tongue fully or partially blocks the airway near the back of the throat, constricting the airway. Lifestyle changes such as exercise and weight loss are helpful to reduce a constricted airway in some people by reducing fat and increasing muscle tone in the throat. However, this approach does not work for all people.
Various devices and approaches to treating these conditions have been proposed. Devices which move the mandible, or lower jaw, forward and down from its habitual position relative to a patient's upper jaw also move the tongue forward and down in the mouth, and are consequently thought to reduce the likelihood of the tongue fully or partially blocking the airway. These devices are known as mandibular advancement devices. Mandibular advancement devices work in part by having a person insert a set of plates which are fitted around the person's teeth—an upper plate fitted around the upper teeth and a lower plate fitted around the lower teeth.
The upper plate and lower plate are then held together via a connecting mechanism, such as a hook, flange or elastic band. The connecting mechanism pulls the lower plate forward and down as described above. However, the connecting mechanism is often irritating, breakable and uncomfortably restrictive, and must be removed or unhooked in order to take out of a person's mouth. Similarly, when inserting the mandibular advancement device, a user must connect the two plates together with the hooks, flanges or bands—a process that can be exceedingly difficult. The connecting mechanism is also located on the buccal surface of the teeth which is immediately adjacent to the soft tissue of the cheek, often causing irritation to the user.